[TheForge] oxy-propane after all

[Ron Childers]

Gas saver: Rio Grande catalogue

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ben Barrett
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 2:19 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] oxy-propane after all

That is great info, Frosty, and makes the torch-work outlook much brighter
:)
Too bad their torch costs so much -- too much for me right now... I called
and
they quoted me $895 w/tank, $845 w/o, for the kit.

Has anyone used oxy/propane torches from smithequipment.com ?

Also, any suggestions for a gas-saver?  I noticed smithequipment has one...
a nice hanger w/ pilot, or even just an idle circuit, would work for
me, I've seen
some nice simple propane-forge idle circuits, which use a ball valve
for the throttle
and a needle valve for the fine adjustment of the idle level, in
parallel.  Seems like
an easy setup to build, and with the right tubing & plumbing could be used
on a
torch too?

ben


On 6/22/07, Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net> wrote:
> The only safety issues of using propane instead of acet
> are:
>
> #1. Propane will degrade rubber hoses not rated for
> propane so eventually (and I don't know how long it
> takes) propane will start leaking from acet rated hose.
> You can safely use acet in propane rated hoses. This
> may also be a factor if you have an old regulator but I
> don't know for sure.
>
> #2. Propane is heavier than air and will settle in low
> spots making for fire and explosion hazard. Do NOT use
> propane in your basement eh?
>
> Other than that it's all about efficiency. Like I said
> the initial price was a bite but it paid for itself
> about 3 times over before I used up the first 20lb.
> bottle of propane.
>
> There're also the performance differences to consider.
> Propane may have nearly a 1,000f lower absolute temp
> than oxy acet but in a head to head comparison it beats
> oxy acet by a large margin.
>
> I run a "0" tip in the cutting torch and can cut 20ga.
> without warping it, then crank up the oxy pressure and
> pierce several inches of steel with the same tip. The
> book says it'll pierce 5" without overpressuring but
> the thickest I've tried is around 4 1/4". As soon as
> the pierced hole cools you can chase it with a HS drill
> bit, or cut a piece of round stock and chuck it in your
> lathe and use HS cutters; propane doesn't inject carbon
> like acet does.
>
> I can cut RR rail cleanly without moving the torch
> simply by rotating the head. This works for anything up
> to about 10" across, thick, etc. You start the cut and
> just rotate the torch. It makes for very clean and fast
> cuts. This is really sweet for cutting wide flange,
> channel, pipe, etc.
>
> The #5 heater tip (rosebud) can be covered with my
> middle finger and will melt 1 cu/in of steel in less
> than 13 seconds. In the head to head I did at work, the
> oxy acet rosebud had barely started to run the colors
> in the same time.
>
> An All-States rep will be happy to give you a demo.
> Just remember to stand back when (s)he demos the weld
> eraser. <grin>
>
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> http://www.artmetalradio.com/
>
> From: "Ben Barrett" <stircrazyben at gmail.com>
>
>
> > Wow, thanks for that link, the FAQ there answered all
> > my questions:
> > http://www.allstatesdistributing.com/id56.html
> > (yeah, this is propane, not propylene; the thread
> > forked)
> >
> > Summary:  I wouldn't likely die trying, but it is
> > inefficient, using
> > up too much Oxy since it just doesn't mix right in a
> > torch made for
> > oxy/acet (according to allstates).  Makes sense -- if
> > anyone's mileage
> > has varied from that, please let us know...
> >
> > ben
> >
>
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